Senior Bowl giving Dolphins plenty to chew on

MOBILE, Ala. – Odds are the Dolphins will draft a player or two playing in this week’s Senior Bowl.

But who?

Coach Tony Sparano and his staff have the advantage of putting the South squad through the paces all week, while GM Jeff Ireland and the team’s personnel people will be here all week watching both squads.

Ireland wouldn’t reveal the Dolphins’ picks, which will be released next week. But he did say the team has three sixth-rounders, the round where guard Donald Thomas and running back Lex Hilliard went.

Some of the 104 players here this week are sure to last until the later rounds.

To help sort out who’s who and what’s what, here’s some scuttlebutt making the rounds the past few days:

Tony Sparano and the Dolphins' front office has seen plenty of Taylor Mays out of USC -- a player who likely won't play safety in the NFL. (AP)

- Despite some impressive physical tools, USC safety Taylor Mays will not be able to cover consistently in the NFL.

The 6-foot-3, 231-pound Mays has made a couple of impressive hits downfield in between the numbers, but this hasn’t hidden a number of concerns. Observers wonder if he could be cut from the same cloth as Carolina Panthers’ LB Thomas Davis.

Davis was a big, hard-hitting safety at Georgia who was moved to LB in the NFL.

SI.com draft analyst Tony Pauline said Mays, despite being timed running the 40 in 4.32 seconds, struggles to pedal in reverse, cannot plant his foot and drive to the ball and cannot go outside the numbers.

The Dolphins could use a safety, and the good news is many believe it’s a good class for them.

South Florida’s Nate Allen, one of the top prospects, is on the South squad.

Dan Williams from Tennessee has been the best defensive tackle at Senior Bowl. (AP)